I'd like to second and amplify this comment. I've been searching for a single example of a software patent having ever been used to protect and promote innovati

I'd like to second and amplify this comment. I've been searching for a single example of a software patent having ever been used to protect and promote innovation, rather than to just stifle competition or extort money from people who happen to build a successful business. If someone can provide a single instance of a software patent being used as a vehicle for promoting the arts and sciences, advancing the state of technology, or providing a means for a small inventor to bring a product to market that otherwise would not have been viable without the patent, I would be enormously grateful.